The Oblivious Muse
by pluhsauce
Summary: The first time he saw Sakura Haruno, she was waiting in line for coffee with one of his books in her hand. Little did she know that she would inspire the famous mystery author Sasuke Uchiha to write his first romance novel, with his protagonist being eerily similar to a certain pink-haired doctor. AU SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited the chapters I had previously posted! About to start writing more frequently now that I actually have free time. xoxo**

 **For those just starting the story: this is a re-vamped version of one of my 2014 SasuSaku Month oneshots**

* * *

It was 6am when he first saw her, standing in line at the local cafe, waiting for her coffee while simultaneously looking like an angel from his dreams. He couldn't help but stare from his table in the corner of the small building, pausing his frantic typing to take in her appearance.

She was pale, with rose-petal lips and bright viridian eyes that were framed by thick, long lashes. The tips of her soft strawberry-blonde hair just barely brushed her shoulders, and she was wearing a thick black coat that was open enough that he could see a hint of a crimson shirt with just enough buttons unbuttoned to be playful yet decently professional.

Although she naturally had an innocent look about her, her expression gave away her weariness, as if the only thing keeping her going was the thought of the coffee she was about to consume.

Instantly, he was intrigued. (And not just by her looks)

She also held a copy of one of his books underneath her arm.

It wasn't his latest novel (the one that had gotten on the best-seller list), but one of his older works that he remembered working endless nights to finish. Truthfully, it was his favorite, and he was rather proud that she picked it out. But just as he was about to reach out and ask her about it, the barista interrupted, stealing his angel away from him.

"Triple espresso?"

"Yes, thank you," the woman said simply, and though her words were few, he couldn't help but admire how sweet and confident they sounded.

It was almost embarrassing how quickly she unconsciously drew him in. Perhaps they had met in a past life? No, that sounded ridiculous.

 _God, I sound like Deidara or Sasori. Next I'll be babbling about how she is the perfect piece of art or some bullshit._

After she grabbed her hot beverage, (he noted that she took her coffee strong) she walked briskly through the large crowd, eventually passing Sasuke.

He tensed in anticipation, waiting for her to turn her head, lock eyes with him, smile, slide him her number...

...she didn't even look his way.

All she left was a soft vanilla scent that wouldn't leave his senses for the next few minutes.

* * *

Once Sakura got to work, her friend Ino immediately came up to her. They had been friends since middle school, an unlikely pair of the most popular girl in school and the nerdy girl that spent all of her free time studying and building her resume. However, they complimented each other perfectly, each encouraging the other, with Sakura learning how to be social and Ino being encouraged to chase her dream career.

Nowadays they both worked at Konoha Hospital. Sakura was a doctor specializing in diagnoses and general surgeries; Ino was one of the resident psychologists in the building, sometimes seeming like she could practically read her patients' minds.

"Don't tell me you stayed up late last night _again_ ," Ino sighed, taking in the dark blotches underneath her friend's eyes.

"I got caught up in a book," Sakura said with a soft smile. They made their way to the staff lounge, checking their schedules for the day while drinking their respective coffees.

"Don't tell me….those Sasuke Uchiha ones?" Ino rolled her eyes. "Why can't you be like other women your age and stay up watching sitcoms while sipping on red wine? That's so much more relaxing than reading those mystery novels. Helps you decompress."

Sakura shrugged. "We all have our preferences." Her eyes then widened. "Oh my god I almost forgot to ask! How did the date go last night?"

"Not so great," Ino frowned before aggressively downing the rest of her drink. "It seemed so _bored_ the entire time! Even though I was wearing that skintight purple dress of mine! I thought that outfit was foolproof!"

"Weird," Sakura replied. Ino was not the type of girl to get turned down by the opposite gender. "Maybe you should just focus your energy on someone else."

Ino blushed. "I do have someone in mind-"

Sakura raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"- but I haven't even talked to him yet."

"Go for it," Sakura encouraged, pumping her fist enthusiastically. "Worst case scenario, you can just forget about it all! Konoha's a big city, so you'd probably never see him again if you didn't want to."

"Great. Very positive of you," she bit back. "But maybe I can make it more lowkey by making it a double date."

"Go for it! Who else would you take, though? Maybe Hinata?"

Ino smirked. "We'll just need to find you someone first."

Sakura's mouth dropped slightly. "Ino! Find someone else! Remember how my last relationship ended?"

"Yeah, well Kiba was too much of a player anyways. I doubt he'll ever settle down with anyone, to be honest."

"I have an appointment with a patient in a few minutes," Sakura said hurriedly, changing the subject. "See you later."

Her coffee long finished, she tossed it into the trashcan, leaving Ino to scheme on her own. She hadn't been on a date in months, and at this point it was looking hopeless. She partially blamed herself-she had dedicated so much of her younger years to focusing on her career-but then again, it also may be that she just hadn't met the right person yet.

Truthfully, the only man in her life was the author of the books she loved so much, and for all she knew, Sasuke Uchiha was some married sixty-year-old man.

* * *

That night, Sasuke went straight to his closest friend to discuss the morning's events.

"She was just so….weirdly perfect," he grumbled, sitting on Naruto's saggy couch and ignoring the beer his friend had set on the ground in front of him. "I should have said something to her."

"What did she look like?" his blonde friend asked, still not recovering from the shock of Sasuke Uchiha actually _seeking out_ female company. For years everyone had just assumed he was asexual….at least until he came barging in to Naruto's apartment, demanding to talk about a girl he saw for barely two minutes.

"Attractive" Sasuke frowned. "And Konoha is such a big city…I'll never see her again."

"Don't be such a little kid about it!" Naruto scolded, hands crossed. "You're making this sound like one of those cheesy love-at-first-sight novels"

Sasuke paused.

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed, hiding the inspiration that Naruto had unknowingly sparked within him.

Naruto laughed. "Of course I'm joking. Hell would freeze over before Sasuke wrote a romance novel."

"Most 'romance' novels are shit," Sasuke said distantly. "It's a challenge to write one that's even half-decent."

 _And if there was anything Sasuke loved, it was a challenge._

"If you want, I can ask around," Naruto offered. "One of the perks of being an entertainer in Konoha is that I have connections all over. Someone's sure to have heard of her. Though you really haven't given me a lot to go off of...You just want me to ask about cute girls that read your old books?"

The dark-haired man nodded, silently musing over what his mystery woman was like. What if she was one of those clingy, desperate girls that he always seemed to attract? What if she was already was dating someone, or worse, _married?_

That thought left a sour taste in his mouth, and he found himself needing to return to his own apartment as soon as possible. Writing was the only thing that helped relieve his stress, and he still had a lot to do before he met his next deadline.

"Fine," Sasuke huffed out, picking up his coat to leave. "You ask around; I have a book to write."

"Authors.." Naruto cursed lightly, ignoring how Sasuke slammed the door shut as he left.


	2. Chapter 2

It was towards the end of that week that Sasuke saw her again, this time at the grocery store in front of Konoha Hospital. He was in a good mood, as last night he had worked with such a fervor that he had finished his most recent book with time to spare before the deadline. His publisher was thrilled, gushing over how it was sure to win more awards that his last.

She was in a different coat today, a tan trench coat that was open down the middle and revealed another button-up shirt—this one a pale green that matched her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely from the recently dropping temperatures outside.

Instead of a huge shopping cart she opted for one of the smaller baskets, halfway filled with a small variety of vegetables and a box of green tea. A black bag hung from her right shoulder, and he couldn't help but wonder if she still was reading the same book as before.

So as she looked at different brands in the bread aisle, he walked down slowly, hoping to catch her eye.

And he was successful, because he certainly caught her eye.

He tripped.

And fell facedown onto the cold, dirty linoleum.

"Oh my god!" she cried out immediately, dropping her basket on the floor and rushing over to him. "Are you okay?"

He grunted something inaudible, pushing himself off the ground slowly, cheeks burning in embarrassment. His only solace was that now her attention was completely on him, bright green eyes meeting cool onyx.

"Your hand is bleeding," she observed quickly (before he did), and pulled his hand into hers. "Let me help."

Even though his ego was hurt, his masculinity wounded…he couldn't find the motivation to move away, especially when her touch was warm, soothing, and everything he expected it to be.

She reached into her leather handbag to get a bandage, (why did she just happen to carry around medical supplies?) and in plain sight was his very first novel—the one that he had published when he was just seventeen.

"You like Sasuke Uchiha?" he asked suddenly, and it felt weird to say, coming from his own mouth. The girl froze for a second and raised her eyebrows, but nevertheless answered him.

"He's one of my favorite authors," she explained, finishing her work. "Even though his first few books are a bit sloppy, I like the unpredictability of them."

Sasuke sighed. If Naruto were here, he would definitely love this girl. It was rare to hear criticism of his work, no matter how slightly, since people seemed to be too focused on fawning over his recent popularity. He sometimes wondered if he was on the path to becoming a sell-out, abandoning the grittiness of his first few books to be more pleasing to the general public.

"How many have you read?" he asked, prolonging the conversation even though they had both gotten off the floor at this point. She looked ready to leave, and it was all he could do to keep her there for a few more lingering moments.

"Only a few. I still have five left of his," she smiled. "I've been reading one every few days when I get free time. Though usually I get so many patients that I use a lot of my sleeping time to read."

"Patients?"

"Oh," she replied quickly, looking a little embarrassed. (That was the only explanation for the blush on her cheeks, right?) "I'm a doctor at Konoha Hospital"

"That's nice."

Silence.

"Well….I have to pay for my things now," she said a bit awkwardly. "Hope your hand gets better!"

And as she walked away, Sasuke swore to himself that he would make sure to hold her attention for longer next time.

 _Ah. There he goes, assuming there would be a next time._

* * *

By the time Sakura got home, Ino was already lying on her couch, tv on and a glass of wine in her hand. (She sure wasn't kidding earlier over how she liked to spend her free time)

"You sure took your sweet time," she teased, eyes flickering over to Sakura's flushed face. "Did you meet Prince Charming or something?"

Sakura laughed loudly. (too loudly)

"Hahaha—no! Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"You're so weird sometimes," Ino snickered, eyes back to the television screen as Sakura put away the few grocery items she had brought back. "Anyways, I think you need to decide your type."

"My type?" Sakura asked, pausing in her movements.

"You know, the type of man you want. Personality traits, dream job, looks—anything you think should be a requirement."

Sakura frowned. "I don't think people should go into relationships with a checklist like that. Love should come naturally, even unexpectedly."

"See, this is why you're single!" Ino cried, motioning Sakura to sit next to her now that her food was all put away. "You put too much importance on that ~love at first sight~ crap."

"It's not crap," Sakura huffed, sitting on the far end of the couch and ignoring the reality show playing in front of her. "You see it in books and movies all the time."

"Oh, Sakura. That's why people love fiction so much! It's completely unrealistic!"

"But Ino-"

"Go ahead. Describe your dream man."

She sensed Sakura's hesitation. "Pretend that you're designing the ideal boyfriend."

"Uh-I mean, I guess I'd like him to be attractive."

"You guess?" Ino giggled. "Surely you can be more specific."

"Well, um…I guess I like dark hair the best. And not super muscular. I don't like when guys look like they're in the gym for hours a day."

"Wow, we're more different that I thought we were," Ino added. "Anything ese?"

"And I'd probably want him to be kind of introverted. Someone that appreciates good writing like I do...and even though it sounds superficial….I'd like him to make at least as much as I do, since I've had guys be put off by that in the past," she explained with a blush on her pale cheeks.

"Good luck finding someone into the arts with a huge salary, Sakura," Ino smiled. "The 'starving artist' stereotype is unfortunately based on reality."

"But I'd be happy as long as he had passion for life and only had eyes for me."

After taking a generous gulp of wine, Ino closed her eyes and nodded enthusiastically. "I feel you there, girl."

However, throughout the conversation, Sakura found her mind flitting back to her interaction in the grocery store earlier. She had been so nervous talking to such an attractive guy—he was pretty much a modern-day Adonis.

Nevertheless, although he seemed nice, he looked like the type to be in law or business, certainly not the creative type. It surprised her that he was familiar with Sasuke Uchiha's work, but then again, he probably just recognized the name since he had been so popular recently.

The man oozed a cool confidence, which was both magnetic and intimidating. It took a lot of effort not to melt into a stuttering mess the second their skin touched. She would've asked his name, but since he didn't ask hers, she felt like it would be pointless to get her hopes up for someone so far out of her league.

But a girl could dream, couldn't she?

* * *

 **Probably updating "Electricity Between Both of Us" soon! Love me some AU SasuSaku ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

The room was dim, lit only by the fluorescent glare of the laptop Sasuke furiously typed away at. His only indicator of the time was the sound of birds chirping outside, as it was too early for the sun to have risen.

Now that he had finished the book he was contractually bound to, he finally had the opportunity to write what he wanted, without the influence of his publisher.

He hated his publishing company, anyways. There was nothing more vile than a room of men in stuffy suits regulating, editing, and censoring his art.

Before he had been signed to a publisher, he only wrote when he wanted to. Which worked out well, since he always wanted to write. But recently, his favorite pastime had become more of a chore-a means to an end.

How did the phrase go again? "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"? Complete bullshit.

The past few months had been rough, especially as his agent kept pushing more and more for him to do book-signing tours, interviews, and whatnot.

If he wanted to be a celebrity, he would've been an actor like Naruto. It was insane how people were so obsessed with the authors behind great books, without just appreciating the books themselves. Although he was by no means anonymous, Sasuke made sure to not include headshots on his books, and to make no public appearances. The last thing he needed was to be hunted down by news reporters and paparazzi. Although Naruto loved that life, Sasuke has always been much more introverted.

His phone screen lit up beside him, notifying him of a text from his father. Rare, considering his artsy career path had led him to be the black sheep of the family. Itachi was the only son that joined the family law firm, so for awhile, he was the only one father was close to. However, Itachi had recently declared that he never intended to marry or have kids, so their father had jumped to Sasuke to carry on the family name.

 _Family dinner next month on the 5th. Bring a suitable female or we will bring one for you._

Sasuke rolled his eyes, resenting Itachi for putting him in this situation. He wasn't close to any women in particular, since the only people he frequently interacted with were his family, Naruto, and those at his publishing company. And even if he got the contact information of his mystery girl, inviting her to a family dinner so early on in their relationship would probably set off red flags in her mind.

He had two options: either ask Naruto to find him a girl that wouldn't repulse him, or ignore the text.

Choosing the latter, he went back to typing.

His father was definitely bluffing. There was no way the head of the Uchiha family would stoop so low to lure an unsuspecting girl into a blind date with his son. Plus the standards were far too high for letting people into the clan. His father wouldn't just choose any girl off the street. You needed a background check just to visit the Uchiha compound.

With a sigh, he tried to distance himself from those thoughts, and focus more on the story unfolding on his screen. So far he was very proud of how it had turned out; it had a lot more of a feel of his earlier work. And if he continued at this pace, it would be finished by the end of this week.

He debated whether or not to publish this one. On one hand, it would let the public see a different side of him...on the other, it most definitely could freak out the girl he had written it about.

 _Naruto would probably know what to do. I'll call him when he wakes up._

* * *

If Sakura was anything, it was motivated. When she set her sights on something, she liked to make a definite plan in order to make sure it was accomplished.

In this case, her goal was to meet the man from the grocery store again. And this time, she wanted to actually get to know him, instead of rushing away because she got too flustered.

First plan of action: start getting her morning coffee from the grocery store every morning.

Sure, the employees were surprised by her suddenly becoming a regular, but it wasn't them she was concerned about. She had more important things to worry about, like what to say when he shows up.

 _Oh hello~ haven't seen you in awhile...want to make out?_ ...Maybe not that strong.

 _Glad to see you again! I was about to hire a private detective to find you!_ ...Might sound a little desperate.

 _How is your hand doing...it's important to make sure those fingers work properl_ -Okay so maybe she was still deciding on the actual talking part.

Unfortunately, a week had passed and she still had not seen him again. At this point, she wondered if it was even worth it. Obviously they were just not meant to be. Maybe he had been traveling through Konoha? Or worse, maybe he was avoiding the grocery because of their meeting.

She decided this had developed into a situation worthy of Ino's attention.

xxx

For the past week, Sasuke had done the unthinkable.

Instead of finishing his story in his quiet apartment, he had switched his work area to a rather...loud...alternative.

The coffee shop were he had first seen her.

Every day at 5:30am he went in, ordering the same thing and sitting down in the same spot in hopes of seeing her again. She had the assertiveness of a regular, so he assumed she came in at the same time every day.

Though his assumption may have been incorrect, because so far his efforts had been fruitless. However, not entirely, because he had now finished his novel, and was just left to editing until it was perfect. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing from making it a truly great work, something small, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He really needed her to show up in his life soon, because he was getting a little too obsessed. Sasuke Uchiha always got what he wanted, and until he reached his goal, it would be all he could think about.

Today, the shop was relatively empty, so he couldn't help but overhear the baristas talking amongst themselves.

"Hey-have you seen that one girl in awhile?" one of them asked the other, his lips set in a disappointed frown.

"No, which is a bummer. I always requested this shift because she was my favorite regular," the younger, college-aged boy replied with a sigh.

"I wonder if she started going someplace else. Which is a shame, because I was about to ask for her number."

The other laughed. "Good luck! She's a doctor at Konoha Hospital. Doubt she'd be interested in us. What was her name again? Sakura?"

Sasuke stiffened. _Sakura_. _How fitting._

"Yeah. Maybe she's just on vacation though. The winter holiday season is approaching."

Blocking out the rest of the blabber of the two, Sasuke smirked to himself.

In that moment, he realized what was missing from his novel.

 _Sakura._ Not a very uncommon name, but it had a simplistic beauty about it.

The perfect name for his heroine. The perfect way to reach out to her. If only he had a way to have her read-oh.

With a frown, he reluctantly called his publisher.

"Hey, I have another book for you to print."

* * *

 **What will Sasuke's story be about? Any guesses? (If you guess right, you might get a surprise gift from me because I'm feeling very creative recently~)**


	4. Chapter 4

A full two weeks before the Uchiha family dinner, Sasuke got a call from his father. Alarming, considering Sasuke had not done anything wrong to his knowledge.

Fugaku Uchiha thought otherwise.

 _"What's this I hear about you publishing a romance novel?"_ he said sternly. Sasuke could picture the disappointed frown on his face, a look he was on the receiving end of all too often.

"It's not _just_ a romance novel, father. It's mainly fantasy and suspense." (That was a half-lie. The romance was so intertwined with the story that it was one of the most important parts of the plot)

 _"I was okay with mystery novels, but I won't be having my youngest son writing sex stories!"_

Sasuke's cheeks stained pink at that comment, nearly breaking his stride. He was currently walking on one of the busiest streets of downtown Konoha, which was definitely not the place he wanted to have this conversation.

Not that he ever wanted his conversation to happen. _Who told father about this anyways?_

 _"It's all over the news: 'Sasuke Uchiha set to release a steamy romance TODAY before finishing his current series!' Is this the sort of stuff you want your future wife to see?"_

Hmm...not that Sasuke minded that in the slightest, since he actually wrote it with someone in inind.

He caught a flash of pink in his peripheral version.

"We can speak about this later, father, but I'm not writing _'sex stories,'_ " he finished quickly before hanging up. Not his best decision, but needed to be done, as the potential subject of his affections had just shown up where he least expected.

She was only ten-or-so meters in front of him, walking with a purpose unknown to him. As he hurridly tried to catch up, he frantially thought of what she could be going to. It was almost 7pm, so she couldn't be doing anything work-related, and she was dressed casually, so it wasn't like she was on her way to a date or something. (thankfully)

In fact, there wasn't anything in this direction besides banks, a law office, and a bookstore.

 _That was it! His new book was releasing today!_

But that could just be his ego talking. There were a lot of things she could be going to, like-

-she walked into the bookstore, her eagerness unwavering. Without thinking it through, Sasuke ducked into the bookstore to follow her.

From a distance, of course. Uchihas never look _desperate_.

(even if they actually were)

* * *

Walking into the warmth of the bookstore was one of Sakura's greatest comforts. Not only was it shelter from the winter breeze, but there was nothing better than the combination of the smell of new books and a still quietness.

Another thing Sakura liked about Sasuke is how anonymous he liked to remain. Assuming he used his real name, he didn't make a big deal about his ownership. He was more interested in the reader than himself: a valuable character trait to have. In the medical field, it's important to remember that it's not about you-it's about the patient. It was nice to see such a similar sentiment in such a different career field.

There wasn't that large of a crowd at the store, which was probably due to the fact that Sasuke's marketing team hadn't said a word about this release until earlier that morning. If Sakura hadn't been subscribed to a few literary email newsletters, she would've never even known about it.

With a giddiness she rarely showed while sober, she rushed over to the display table, stacked high with freshly-printed hardcovers. The covers all depicted the same scene of pale moonlight reflecting against the wooden roof of some building from fuedal-era Japan, the title "SHINOBI" written out in a plain white font.

So far, so very unlike his previous work. Sasuke's usual books were about crime, serial killers, or government corruption. He wrote with a bone-chilling accuracy that made it seem like he had been there himself. But from what she had heard of this book, it was supposed to be his first foray into romance, though it was technically listed under "fantasy."

However, something-or rather, some _one-_ was in the way of her prize.

Without realizing it, she had accidentally reached for the hand of another person who was going for the same copy. Unforunately, she wasn't exactly paying attention, so she didn't notice until her fingers brushed skin instead of paper.

Looking up, she locked eyes with the very man she had been hunting down for the past week.

She stood perfectly still for the briefest of moments, basking in the warmth of his stare before flinching her hand away. Her cheeks flushed at having lingered for so long. _Oh no!_ _He must think I'm a freak now!_

(Sasuke's mission of "getting hands to brush" was a success! Now, as long as this followed the typical romance novel formula, they'll be married by the end of the month!)

"You look familiar," he said cooly, burying his excitement under a facade of nonchalance.

"Yeah-uh, I think we met at the grocery store before," Sakura nervously replied, a little put off by his indifferent tone. She grabbed a book from the table and her eyes darted towards the register.

(Looks like Sasuke's "cool" act backfired here)

Backtracking, Sasuke continued, trying to hold her attention for just a little longer. "My hand is doing a lot better now, thanks to you." He held it up, and a cursory smile graced her lips.

 _Okay, lets try this again..._ "You must be some doctor, having such a magic touch."

Her smile now seemed a lot more genuine than before, as she seemed to warm up a little to his casual advances.

"Thank you, though I'd hardly call four years of medical school magical," she laughed. "What do you do for a living?"

 _Shit. He hadn't really thought this through. Should he give a fake identity? Lie? Or just be ambiguous about it?_

"I'm in law," he said quickly, noticing how her shoulders drooped a little at that. Maybe she had some vendetta against lawyers? Hopefully she wasn't one of those doctors that were always hit with malpractice suits..."My name is Itachi."

"My name's Sakura."

 _Get it together, Sakura! Don't give up just because he isn't some world-famous artist or something! He's in a bookstore so he obviously likes books...you can't set your standards too high!_

An awkward silence followed as they both continued their respective internal monolouges.

"Still at it with the Sasuke Uchiha books?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded.

"This is his first romance book. Though I can't say I'm too excited, since I'm not really a fan of love stories. I'm mostly reading it because I'm curious if he can stick to his usual style in such a new genre."

"I wonder what inspired the switch?"

Sakura shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe he met someone that inspired it, maybe he just is selling out."

He winced at that. "I guess we'll find out soon."

"Yeah."

"Hn."

"So...this might sound like a weird question," Sakura said slowly. "But my friends aren't really big on reading for fun. Do you think you could discuss the book with me once you're done with it too?"

 _Did she just ask what I think she asked?_

"Uh-yeah! Of course," Sasuke uncharacteristcally stammered out. "Here's my card-"

He paused midway of reaching into his wallet. Was he an idiot? All of his buisness cards clearly read "Sasuke Uchiha, author" on them. Not the best way to go about hiding his identity...

"You know what, here's my phone. Why don't you put your number in it," he persisted, gently handing her his smartphone.

"Sounds good!" Sakura assured. "Just text me whenever you're finished with it"

 _That might be sooner than she thinks, since I finished it a week ago._

* * *

 **Okay I was going to wait a little longer before updating again, but I got some real nice reviews that kept my inspiration flowing! luv u guys~**


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